Wood County reporter. [volume] (Grand Rapids [i.e. Wisconsin Rapids], Wis.) 1857-1923, 1887-08-11
SLEEPING WONDERS.
Feats Accomplished by Some Hen While in
the Arms of Morpheus.
London Telegraph


London Telegraph
Sleep in most individuals lasts for the
space of eight hours. Exceptions to this
statement are numerous; whether those
arise from duty or laziness we shall not
venture TO examine. Sir Z. Codrington,
the famous naval officer, when midship-
man, could watch on deck for 10 hours;
this left only five for sleep, which in his
case was most profound-so profound
that no noise was sufficiently strong to
waken him: yet if the word "Slgnalw
was whispered in his ear he awoke and
was on deck instantly.
Reporters of the House of Commons
require great exertions to keep them
selves from sleeping. A few years ago
distinguished member of ''the gentlemen
in the gallery" took down speech while
he was sleeping. His statement rests on
his oath. Calvin tells of a friend of his
reading aloud to him while asleep. The
organ of vision was alone active.
Coleridge, the dreaming philosopher,
composed "CubIa Khun" Zone of his
poems) while fast asleep. Next morning
he was sure there had been an acquisition
to his literature, but was too Negligent to
write the stanzas. A few days afterward
they had for the most PARTED, and the
poem as it now stands is but fragment.
Every one knows that extreme fatigue
induces sleep, and this in spite of sur
rounding relations, which in ordinary
circumstances would hinder any one
from resting. Previous to the shorten
ing of the hours of work factory children
frequently fell asleep while working at
al hot
they would incur severe punishment by
doing SO. The North American Indian,
at the stake of torture, has been known
to go to sleep on the least remission of
agony, and will slumber until the fire is
applied to awaken him.
1t is on record that during the heat of
the battle of the Nile some of the over
fatigued boys fell asleep upon tine deck,
and during the attack upon Rangoon,
in the Burmese war, the captain of one of
the steam frigates most actively engaged,
worn out by the excess of continued
mental tension, fell asleep and remained
perfectly unconscious for two hours,
within yard of his largest guns, which
were being worked theoretically the
whole period.
Habit and time, place and circar1stan-
ces predispose us all to sleep. The celebra-
ted pedestrian, CAPTAIN Barclay, when ac-
complishing his extraordinary feet of
walking 1000 miles in as many successive
hours, obtained at last such a mastery
over himself that he fell asleep the in
slant he lay down. The doctors wife
never hears the door bell during the night,
although the noise is sufficient to rouse
the wear;ed husband; but should child
in the nursery cry, then the mother, OBJ
livious to all other sounds, hears at once
the infants voice.
It is related that the Able Faria, who
required notoriety through his power of
inducing somnambulisn, was accustomed
merely TO place his patient in an arrs
chair, after telling him to shut his eyes
and collect himself, and pronounce in a
strcng voice, "dormez," which was usually
successful.
There seems to be no limit to the
wonders displayed by man IN sleeping.
Condercet, the mathematician, solved one
of his most difficult problems while
asleep-a problem, too, which puzzled him
during his waking hours. A professor
of theology in the University of Basic
once wrote sermon while asleep; he
found it on his desk next morning. The
preceding night he could not grapple
W1Cn Cn0 subject as he QeSIreU, out the
performance of his sleeping hours was
quite satisfactory TO him.
Jenny Lind was one of the most cele-
brated singers of her time. No one could
rival her powers except factory girl,
who sang sometimes better than the
famous Jenny. The girl could not at
tempt any difficult piece when awake,
but when sleeping she sang SO correctly,
= -
d1ffic0lt to distinguish between their
voices. On one occasion Mile. Lind heard
the girl, and even tested tho accuracy of
her powers by giving her long and
elaborate chromatic exercise. This the
sleeping girl performed, much to the
wonder of the famous Swedish singer.